Clark: December 9, 1805

December 9th Monday 1805 rained all the last night we are all wet, Send 2
men in pursute of the Elk & with the other 3 I Set out with a view to
find the Ocian in our first direction, which Can be at no great Distance,
I crossed 3 Slashes by wadeing to my knees & was prevented proceeding
by the 4th which was a pond of 200 yds. we. I went around, and was Stoped
by a 5th which apd. to be a rung Stream to the right. I then returned to
the raft and recrossd. & proceeded down the Stream I first Struck
about 2 miles & met 3 Indians, who informed me they lived on the See
cost at a Short distance, I de-termd. to accompany them to their vilg.
& we Set out, crossed the Stream, and 2 of the Indians took the Canoe
over the wavering open rich plains for 1/2 a mile and we Crossed the same
stream which run to the left, we then left the canoe and proceeded to the
Same Stream which runs to the right and empties its Self into the See here
I found their vilg. 4 Lodges on the west bank of this little river which
is here 70 yards wide, Crossed in a Canoe & was invited to a lodge by
a young Chief was treated great Politeness, we had new mats to Set on, and
himself and wife produced for us to eate, fish, Lickorish, & black
roots, on neet Small mats, and Cramberries & Sackacomey berris, in
bowls made of horn, Supe made of a kind of bread made of berries common to
this Countrey which they gave me in a neet wooden trencher, with a Cockle
Shell to eate it with It began to rain and with a tremendious storm from
the S. W. which lasted untill 10 oClock P Mwhen I was disposd to go
to Sleep 2 neet mats was produced & I lay on them but the flees were
So troublesom that I Slept but little Those people has 2 plays which they
are fond of one is with a Been which they pass from one hand into the
other, and the oponent guess on this game the resquist nubr of the white
Beeds which is the principal propertythey other game is with round
Pieces of wood much the Shape of the ____ Backgammon which they role thro
between 2 pins.

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Monday 9th December 1805 rained all the last night we are all wet, I
directed 2 hunters Drewyer & Shannon to go in pursute of the Elk, with
the other 3 men I determined to proceed on to the Ocian, & Set out on
a Westerley direction Crossed 3 Slashes and arived at a Creek which I
could not Cross as it was deep and no wood to make a raft, I proceeded
down this Creek a Short distance and found that I was in a fork of the
Creek, I then returned to raft on which we had Crossed the day. crossed
and kept down about one mile and met 3 Indians loaded with fresh Salmon
which they had Giged in the Creek I crossed yesterday in the hills, those
indians made Signs that they had a town on the Seacoast at no great
distance, and envited me to go to their town which envitation I axcepted
and accompand. them, they had a Canoe hid in the Creek which I had just
before rafted which I had not observed, we crossed in this little Canoe
just large enough to carry 3 men an their loads after Crossing 2 of the
Indians took the Canoe on theire Sholders and Carried it across to the
other Creek about 1/4 of a mile, we Crossed the 2d Creek and proceeded on
to the mouth of the Creek which makes a great bend above the mouth of this
Creek or to the S. is 3 houses and about 12 families of the Clat Sop
Nation, we cross to those houses, which were built on the S. exposur of
the hill, Sunk into the ground about 4 feet the walls roof & gable
ends are of Split pine boards, the dotes Small with a ladder to decend to
the iner part of the house, the fires are 2 in the middle of the house
their beads ar all around raised about 21/2 feet from the bottom flore all
covered with mats and under those beads was Stored their bags baskets and
useless mats, those people treated me with extrodeanary friendship, one
man attached himself to me as Soon as I entered the hut, Spred down new
mats for me to Set on, gave me fish berries rutes &c. on Small neet
platteers of rushes to eate which was repeated, all the Men of the other
houses Came and Smoked with me Those people appeared much neeter in their
diat than Indians are Comonly, and frequently wash theer faces and handsin
the eveng an old woman presented a bowl made of a light Coloured horn a
kind of Surup made of Dried berries which is common to this Countrey which
the natives Call Shele wele this Surup I though was pleasent, they Gave me
Cockle Shells to eate a kind of Seuip made of bread of the Shele well
berries mixed with roots in which they presented in neet trenchers made of
wood. a flock of Brant lit in the Creek which was 70 yds wide I took up my
Small rifle and Shot one which astonished those people verry much, they
plunged into the Creek and brought the brant on Shorein the evening it
began to rain and Continud accompanied with a Violent wind from the S. W.
untill 10 oClock P.M. those people have a Singular game which they are
verry fond of and is performed with Something about the Size of a large
been which they pass from, one hand into the other with great dexterity
dureing which time they Sing, and ocasionally, hold out their hands for
those who Chuse to risque their property to guess which hand the been is
in-; the individual who has the been is a banker & opposed to all in
the room. on this game they risque their beeds & other parts of their
most valuable effectsthis amusement has occupied about 3 hours of
this evening, Several of the lodge in which I am in have lost all the
beeds which they had about themthey have one other game which a man
attempted to Show me, I do not properly understand it, they make use of
maney peces about the Shape and size of Backgammon Pices which they role
through between two pins Stuck up at certain distancies &.when
I was Disposed to go to Sleep the man who had been most attentive named
Cus-ka-lah producd 2 new mats and Spred them near the fire, and derected
his wife to go to his bead which was the Signal for all to retire which
they did emediately. I had not been long on my mats before I was attacked
most violently by the flees and they kept up a close Siege dureing the
night